Last night I was almost asleep when a loud bump woke me up. I thought it was Aberly in the hallway dropping her water cup, but she was fast asleep in bed. I realized it was very windy outside and then noticed the rain. Turns out a storm had blown in and our drying rack had blown over on the upper patio. I went back to bed happy to listen to the rain patter against our window and it sounded so much like being in Oregon. The rain continued off and on during the night and we got one good thunder roll around 5:30 in the morning. The rain stopped after that, but we loved the sight of the wet city around us and the feel of cool, damp wind as we headed to work. It really did feel like a cool, fall day in Oregon.
It was such a wonderful way to start the day, which I know sounds odd to any Oregonian or someone in the States at the moment, since you are in the drudgery of winter and would give anything for the sunny days we have right now. Things felt fresh and clean, and it was a lovely memory of home as we begin our February.
We've been thinking about home a lot lately since the school starts sending us our summer flight bookings around this time, and we think about where and how long we will spend our time in Oregon. Then we think of what we'll do, friends we will see (can't wait to see Baby Brandon Sue), family visits and vacations, and of course, what life will be like with Baby Girl in tow this summer. We think about restaurants we love, and good local beer and wine we will enjoy. Life here is great but the thought of home and summer vacation is always exciting.
People have always told me that at some point, you realize that "home" is where you are working. International life becomes your way of life. We do look at our house here in Muscat as our home, but ultimately, I don't think either of us will ever stop seeing Oregon as our true home. We love it too much, and we desire the day when we have enough money saved up to come back, buy a few acres, and start up our own small farm. We definitely can't do that here. Oregon is also where our families are, as well as good friends we very much miss. We both are deeply rooted there and love so much of what Oregon has to offer.
What is weird, is as much as we miss Oregon and the states, international living has allowed to live outside the "bubble" of the US, and we can see so many of the things we don't miss and don't desire coming back to. The politics (I have to say living outside the US this presidential voting year was phenomenal), greed, violence/danger (we feel safer here on a day-to-day basis), materialism, agribusiness, unhealthy diet/lifestyle, and much more. I'm not saying all the other countries in the world are better, but I think there are a lot of things other countries get right or do better than the US. We aren't the greatest nation; we are pretty great, but I don't think we top the world and should hold ourselves that way. We have a lot to learn.
In the end, we find ourselves in a weird place sometimes as we look at what we miss and don't miss. We desire to come back "home" someday, but sometimes the way we talk about things back home, you wouldn't think that. Sometimes I don't think that. BUT home is where the heart is and despite the things that aren't so great, it's home. It's what you know. And you hope for the future and what could change.
So, do you feel like you are in some weird gray area of life and home, Kelsey? No, not really. Despite the imbalance I describe above, life here doesn't feel like we are out of place. Each month doesn't drag by, or we don't feel like we are on some weird "working vacation" for 10 months of the year. We don't look at the school year any differently than back home. We do our normal life things; work, chores, errands, play dates, and such. We go out to dinner with friends and have get-togethers with other families. It's kinda like living our life in Oregon but it just looks different and the people around us are different. The stores are different, the variety of skin color around us is different, but the way we live our lives is the same.
Rain, it's weird how one thing can bring so many feelings and thoughts up.
All our love to you back home!
It was such a wonderful way to start the day, which I know sounds odd to any Oregonian or someone in the States at the moment, since you are in the drudgery of winter and would give anything for the sunny days we have right now. Things felt fresh and clean, and it was a lovely memory of home as we begin our February.
We've been thinking about home a lot lately since the school starts sending us our summer flight bookings around this time, and we think about where and how long we will spend our time in Oregon. Then we think of what we'll do, friends we will see (can't wait to see Baby Brandon Sue), family visits and vacations, and of course, what life will be like with Baby Girl in tow this summer. We think about restaurants we love, and good local beer and wine we will enjoy. Life here is great but the thought of home and summer vacation is always exciting.
People have always told me that at some point, you realize that "home" is where you are working. International life becomes your way of life. We do look at our house here in Muscat as our home, but ultimately, I don't think either of us will ever stop seeing Oregon as our true home. We love it too much, and we desire the day when we have enough money saved up to come back, buy a few acres, and start up our own small farm. We definitely can't do that here. Oregon is also where our families are, as well as good friends we very much miss. We both are deeply rooted there and love so much of what Oregon has to offer.
What is weird, is as much as we miss Oregon and the states, international living has allowed to live outside the "bubble" of the US, and we can see so many of the things we don't miss and don't desire coming back to. The politics (I have to say living outside the US this presidential voting year was phenomenal), greed, violence/danger (we feel safer here on a day-to-day basis), materialism, agribusiness, unhealthy diet/lifestyle, and much more. I'm not saying all the other countries in the world are better, but I think there are a lot of things other countries get right or do better than the US. We aren't the greatest nation; we are pretty great, but I don't think we top the world and should hold ourselves that way. We have a lot to learn.
In the end, we find ourselves in a weird place sometimes as we look at what we miss and don't miss. We desire to come back "home" someday, but sometimes the way we talk about things back home, you wouldn't think that. Sometimes I don't think that. BUT home is where the heart is and despite the things that aren't so great, it's home. It's what you know. And you hope for the future and what could change.
So, do you feel like you are in some weird gray area of life and home, Kelsey? No, not really. Despite the imbalance I describe above, life here doesn't feel like we are out of place. Each month doesn't drag by, or we don't feel like we are on some weird "working vacation" for 10 months of the year. We don't look at the school year any differently than back home. We do our normal life things; work, chores, errands, play dates, and such. We go out to dinner with friends and have get-togethers with other families. It's kinda like living our life in Oregon but it just looks different and the people around us are different. The stores are different, the variety of skin color around us is different, but the way we live our lives is the same.
Rain, it's weird how one thing can bring so many feelings and thoughts up.
All our love to you back home!
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